Taking a Chance with the Crippled Alpha のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 131 - チャプター 140

Kael’s POVThe earth convulsed beneath them, sending rocks tumbling from the cavern ceiling. Elara screamed as a chunk of stone crashed inches from her head."Move!" I shouted, already on my feet, dragging Elara up with me. "Get moving already!"Dustan scrambled beside us, his naked body already shifting, his wolf tearing through his skin with a roar that echoed off the walls. He was faster in this form, stronger, and he could carry Elara if he needed to."The lake!" Elara cried, pointing toward the shimmering water. "There is something in that lake!"I grabbed her hand, my own shift rippling through me. "Hold on to me!"But even as I said it, I felt it—a presence beneath us, moving through the stone like a serpent through water. The ground cracked open, steam hissing from the fissures, and that voice—that terrible, beautiful voice—echoed from the depths."Little wolves," the Serpentine Woman purred, her voice vibrating through the very air. "Did you think you could escape me this eas

Elara's POVMy lungs burned as I dragged Kael's limp body up the final stretch of rock.The golden light still pulsed from my chest, casting eerie shadows across the crevice walls. I could barely see through the tears streaming down my face, could barely breathe through the terror constricting my throat.He's alive. He's alive. He's alive.I repeated it like a prayer, like a mantra, willing it to be true.Richard's hands grabbed us both as we cleared the crack, hauling us onto solid ground. The night air hit my face—and for a moment, I allowed myself to believe we had made it.Then I looked at Kael.His face was blue."NO!" The scream tore from my throat as I dropped to my knees beside him. His lips were tinged with that terrible color, his chest barely moving. "Kael! KAEL!"Richard was already there, his hands pressing against Kael's chest. "He's not breathing," he growled. "The wound—it must have punctured his lung—""Help him!" I grabbed Richard's arm, my nails digging into his fle

Elara's POVI don't know how long I sat there.Time had lost all meaning. Minutes blurred into hours, hours into an endless stretch of agony. The infirmary was a haze of motion and sound—healers rushing between beds, the metallic smell of blood hanging thick in the air, the steady beep of monitoring equipment that seemed to mock me with its rhythm.Richard stayed beside me. With his hand like a steady weight on my shoulder. He didn't speak. There were no words that could make this better.Kael's bond flickered.Dustan's faded.And I sat there, frozen between them, unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to do anything but wait.Please. Please don't take them. Please.But the universe wasn't listening.And then—Chaos.The doors to the infirmary burst open, and a healer stumbled through, her face white as ash. "We need more hands! He's crashing!"I was on my feet before I knew what I was doing. "Who? Who's crashing?"But I already knew.I could feel it.Kael's bond was sputtering, dy

Elara’s POVThe infirmary erupted into chaos.One moment, there was a fragile sense of calm—Kael had apparently stabilized, his heart beating weakly but steadily, and the healers had turned their attention to Dustan. I had been sitting between their beds, one hand on each of their cots, watching them breathe.The next moment, alarms blared."THE KING!" someone screamed. "THE KING IS CRASHING!"I whipped around, my heart seizing. He was on a bed at the far end of the infirmary, surrounded by healers. I hadn't even realized he was there. I hadn't seen him while coming in. But before I could move, another scream cut through the air."PRINCESS RUTH! SHE'S STOPPED BREATHING!"No.No, no, no, no—The world spun around me. I clutched the edge of Kael's cot, my vision blurring with tears. Ruth? Was dying? Dustan’s little sister? She was dying.And I couldn't do anything.The healers were everywhere, swarming both beds, their voices overlapping into a wall of sound. I heard words like "no pu

Elara's POVThe door to the hut scraped open, letting in a gust of cold air that made the candle flame dance wildly. I was too exhausted to turn my head, too hollowed out to do anything but lie there, trembling, as Marta's hands pressed against my belly with growing urgency."Elara, I need you to—""Need her to what?"That voice. That beautiful, familiar voice, rough as gravel and warm as hearth-fire. I forced my eyes open, and there he was—Dustan, my Dustan, wrestling his wheeled chair through the narrow doorway with a bulk load of firewood balanced precariously across his lap. His broad shoulders filled the frame, his dark hair falling across his brow, and despite everything—the pain, the fear, the exhaustion—my heart swelled at the sight of him."Dustan," I breathed, and it came out as barely a whisper.His eyes found mine, and I watched the color drain from his face. "Elara. By the Moon, what's happening? Marta, is she—""Another one," Marta said, her voice clipped and focused. "